In this post, we explain how to Force Shutdown, or Hard Reboot or Restart any Surface device – like Surface Laptop, Surface Book, etc, and what the Surface Pro Two Button Shutdown is.
Normal Shutdown or Restart Surface
All Surface Pro users know how to shut down or restart their devices:
- Select Start > Power > Shut down, or
- Select Start > Power > Restart.
This is a Normal shutdown.
Alternatively, you can press and hold down the Power button for around 15 seconds and then release it. You press it again to start it.
How to Force Shutdown or Restart your Surface device
Press and hold down the Power button until your Surface powers down and restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 30 seconds), then release the power button.
This applies to the following Surface models:
- Surface Pro (5th Gen), Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+, Surface Pro X
- Surface Laptop (1st Gen), Surface Laptop 2, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Laptop Go
- Surface Book 2, Surface Book 3,
- Surface Go (all models), Surface Go 2 (all models)
- Surface Studio (1st Gen), Surface Studio 2
Surface Pro Two Button Shutdown
In normal shutdowns, the kernel session is hibernated. This is known as Hybrid Boot. In this mode, the kernel session is not closed, but it is hibernated. This “kernel only” data file is smaller compared to the normal Hibernate file.
If you are facing some problem with your Surface Pro, simply shutting it down using the power button may not suffice. You need to completely shut down the device.
You can do this by performing what is called the Surface Pro Two Button Shutdown. This process ensures that ensure that Surface is turned off completely.
To do this, press and hold the Power button and the Volume-up button on your Surface at the same time for 15 seconds and then release both of them. The screen may flash the Surface logo, but remember to continue holding down the buttons for 15 seconds.
This applies to the following Surface models:
- Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4
- Surface Book
- Surface 2, Surface 3
- Surface RT.
Hope this works for you and helps.
Now read: Surface Pro shuts down when I click on Sleep.
Just used this trick to resurrect my wife’s apparently dead Surface — thanks from us both!
Trying the Two Button Shutdown surely got me out of a jam. This method did work and the Surface is back up and running. Thanks
Any idea on what pressing and hold the volume-down button and the power button does? I did this by accident and now the Surface Pro 4 doesn’t see the Ethernet port on the docking station. Only WiFi connects to network now.
my son has forgotten his password on his surface pro 4, what is the easiest way to be able to reset it as he hasn’t used it in a while
Clear, concise, and easy to understand. Exactly what you want in a guide!
Has worked in the past but not working now to my great frustration. It’s enough to throw the device in the dustbin except my data is still stuck on it. I wonder if Mac users ever encounter these Windows issues…Embarrassing. Frustrating.
I don’t….ever. I’ve owned 3 macs in my life. My first iMac I don’t use anymore because I got a new Mac mini last year, and my MacBook has been the fastest computer I’ve ever owned to date and it’s 4 years old. Only reason I’m on this article is because my boss’s Surface won’t boot and I’m trying to get it to. I keep telling him to scrap it and get a MacBook. Hopefully now he’ll listen seeing that none of the fixes to get this thing booted is working.